The present invention is directed to a package, and in particular to a flexible package for holding food items.
Certain food items, such as dry cereals, are presently packaged for distribution to consumers in chipboard (i.e,. non-corrugated cardboard) boxes with an interior paper bag-like package within which the dry cereal is contained. The interior paper package has a one-time peelable seal near its top so that a consumer may peelably open the top of the interior paper package to gain access to the enclosed cereal. The chipboard box is generally provided with four flaps which, when folded in the correct configuration, accommodate insertion of a tab on one of the four flaps within a slot in an opposing of the four flaps to maintain the top of the box in a closed position. Slipping the tab of the one flap from engagement with the slot presented in the opposing flap allows easy opening of the top of the box to gain access to the interior paper package and, thence, to the cereal contained within that paper package.
Packaging of such foodstuffs as dry cereals in a flexible, generally pouch-like, package without an exterior chipboard box would reduce the cost of packaging of such foodstuffs. Savings would be realized by eliminating the materials employed in constructing the chipboard box, as well as by eliminating the need for printing of the exterior chipboard box to identify the products contained within. Printing costs associated with applying labeling to flexible packaging are significantly less than such costs associated with chipboard boxes.
If such a flexible package is used for delivering foodstuffs to consumers, a method of temporarily maintaining the package in a closed position after it has initially been opened to gain access to its contents is a necessity.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a package having a closure structure appropriate for temporarily maintaining the package in a closed position while affording easy access to and reclosing of the package for its normal employment. Thus, the package of the present invention allows a user to repeatedly gain access to the contents of the package while preventing spilling of the package when it is stored.